An uplifting tale of magic, community, and acceptance.
A neurodivergent tween discovers a hidden world.
Twelve-year-old beret-aficionado Ramya Knox is dyspraxic. When her famous newsreader parents move the family from London to Edinburgh, she is reunited with her previously estranged maternal aunts and her cousin, Marley. Her grandfather recently died and left Ramya a magical book that only she can read, and with the help of a mysterious stranger, she soon learns that she can see Hidden Folk (like sprites, trolls, and vampires), who cloak themselves in Glamour to blend into the human world. The Hidden Folk are being terrorized and divided by the power-hungry and entirely evil sirens, who wish to cleave not only their own world but the human world as well. With loyal Marley by her side, Ramya discovers how nefarious and dangerous the sirens can be, and how her own differences may ultimately be what saves both worlds. McNicoll, who mentions in her author’s note that she also has dyspraxia, has written a timely tale that stresses how damaging othering can be, how important friendship and belonging are, and how differences can and should be celebrated. While the worldbuilding is cleverly wrought and inviting, more sophisticated readers may easily anticipate the plot twists; this minor quibble aside, tenacious Ramya is wholly likable, and a cliffhanger ending hints at further adventures. Most characters seem to be white; Ramya has dark hair, and it’s unclear whether her given name is intended to cue South Asian heritage.
An uplifting tale of magic, community, and acceptance. (Fantasy. 7-12)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9780593649138
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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